Baby Strange

No one really knew what to expect from these shows, even the band. Reunion shows can be great or not, but there's no way to know until the show actually starts. Friday night (the first night of the two night reunion show) led off the debauchery with some old stuff, and when I say old, I mean their first album, Action (2000). Some songs they had never played live, but you d never know it. You would think the band that arrived on stage Friday night had been playing for 20 years. Eric Deneen on lead vocals, Ryan Ennis on drums, Jamie Brown on rhythm guitar, Tim Hare on bass and fill-in lead guitarist, Johnny Zaremba (formally of Say When) made it look way too easy. As a side note, Johnny had never played with the band before rehearsals two weeks prior. He had to learn 28 songs in one day, Deneen said. Really? Trying to fill the shoes of Hugh Wyman, the band s original guitarist (now of Cola War Vets) is almost impossible, but it seemed that the fans that night accepted him as one of their own. That is a sign of a true professional and extraordinary artist. They decided to play both albums and their EP in chronological order over two nights. Score. Even as a fan of the band for years, some of the songs they played I had never heard live. This was to be the night of nights and they didn t disappoint. Highlights off Action for me were One Nighter, and Dirty, but hearing all those songs live was like ear candy. The band was spot on and Deneen sang those songs like it was the first time. In short: Unforgettable. Then, without skipping a beat, we moved on to their EP, The Make-Out Sessions (2002). When the first chords of It s On was strummed by Jamie Brown, that was it for me. Not only is that song the band s signature piece, but in my world, it s one of the greatest songs ever written (and I don t say things like that lightly). The lyrics, music, haunting guitars, storyline\u2026 it s just one of those songs that touches your soul in a way that doesn t seem possible. Why didn t you just slap me in the face/ \u2018cause it/ couldn t have hurt/ as bad \u2014the opening line says it all. Whether you re a guy or a girl, most of us have gone through an argument such as this one that Deneen sings about, but when you love someone, sometimes it s hard to take a stand, so you just deal with the abuse. Can you get more real than that? I never thought I would hear that song again live and there it was: the music, the fans, and my friends singing along at the top of our lungs. We definitely had a moment and I think the band did too. The night ended way too quickly, but we had tomorrow.. tomorrow. Déjà vu. There we were back at the Middle East, not 24 hours later for Debauchery Part II and some surprises were in store. As Deneen stated to us, the worst kept secret was about to happen later that night. Word on the street was that two of the founding members were to come up and play a few songs. But more on that later. All the die-hard fans were there early Saturday night, and in all honesty, a bit nervous. The club wasn t as full as the night before (granted there was a Charms reunion, as well as Stereo Soul Future, and Vulgarrity on Friday) and even the band wasn t sure what would happen. They all said they were there to have fun and had no expectations. I decided I d be nervous for them. Sad thing is that all the opening bands were great and people missed out hearing them. Team Shred (formally of WBCN) put on a great line up Saturday: Midnight Spin (from NYC), Cola War Vets, and The Crushing Low opened to an unfortunate smattering of listeners, but thankfully the crowds flowed in rapidly at 11:30pm for our headliner. Seeing that we experienced The Make-Out Sessions the night before, I was pleasantly surprised (read: ecstatic) to find out that we were getting the EP AGAIN and then would move on to Put Out (2004). This meant hearing It s On again for the second night in a row, and for this fan, it purely was a gift from the music Gods. I wondered for a moment what I did to deserve it. The crowd continued to surge throughout the set, singing, dancing and just having a good time\u2014the way it should be. We were all brought back to 2004-2006 when the band s touring for the album was full force. They also picked up Ups and Downs from the EP that was missed the night before due to timing (I assume). During the height of their touring, my husband and I saw them just about every week in Worcester, Boston or Cambridge. I think I took those songs for granted after a while. Don t get me wrong.. we always enjoyed the set, but for me, I always assumed they d be around, so I didn t think anything of hearing them again a week later. Experiencing Put Out again in the order of release gave me a new perspective for the music and made me realize once again how amazing these songs are and how talented the band was.. and is. It s hard to say that there were specific song highlights, as they were all amazing. The songs sounded new, relevant and charged. It occurred to me (and I assume to others as well), that every word sung and every note played was done with passion and intention. Even Johnny, who had only played with the band for one night prior, looked at ease. At one point or another, every member had a smile on their face and it was awesome to see. After a quick 5 minute break later in the set, the worst kept secret was revealed: Hugh Wyman (former lead guitarist) and Jay Horvath (former bassist) were to join the band on the last 4 songs of the set. Once again, it was like we were back in time. The old sound was back and boy it sounded good. The crowd was eager for more and the band graced us with a 2-song encore. Before they started, however, Tim Hare (bassist) thanked the band and fans for a great weekend. It s been three years since I ve played these songs with these guys and I have missed them, he said. You never know what s in store for the future. Foreshadowing maybe? I m not getting my hopes up, but it was great to hear him say that. After the encore, group hugs and handshakes ensued between the boys on stage. Reality then hit me\u2014my miracle music weekend was complete. I won t lie. I m mourning a bit today, but it s OK. I m thankful and humbled for what the guys had to do to make it all happen. The fans definitely loved it and I think the band did too. We had fun was the recurring theme of the night when I talked to each of them. But alas, all things must come to an end and at 1:15am it did for this long time fan. But to quote Deneen from the song Ups and Downs, there s ups and downs, there s ups and downs, there s ups and downs.. in this life. Thank you, Baby Strange. Thank you.